That is critical. The lax culture at the Minerals Management Service had come under fire even before the BP oil spill. Critics point to gross deficiencies in the enforcement of safety rules and the chummy relationship between the industry and the agency charged with oversight and regulation.

"I'm going to run a very aggressive PR operation,'' he said, drawing applause from the audience.

That remark might have been reassuring to agency employees, who told The Times-Picayune that morale has been low and tension high in the wake of the BP oil spill. But Gulf Coast residents who are living through the environmental and economic nightmare caused by the runaway well have even more reason to be tense and demoralized. Government regulators can improve their image by embracing reform and holding industry accountable to high safety standards.

Mr. Bromwich has said he will create an internal investigative arm that will report directly to him. He encouraged employees to report any improprieties, urging them to think how it would look to a journalist if they were spotted having a beer with a member of a private energy company.

"We just have to be careful,'' he said.

But real reform requires more than worrying about appearances. Mr. Bromwich needs to make sure he makes that message loud and clear.